Tab end folding mechanism



April 14, 1936. J E, BLOSSER ET AL 2,037,561

TAB END FOLDING MECHANISM Filed NOV. 1, 1934 Q Q k n 0 INVENTOR. John E. 8/0359! and Paul Burke.

MN v ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TAB END FOLDING MECHANISM of New York Application November 1, 1934, Serial No. 750,999

5 Claims.

This invention relates to the wrapping of articles and is in the nature of an improvement upon the invention disclosed and claimed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,973,737, granted to Harrison R. Williams on September 18, 1934, for Method and apparatus for making catamenial bandages.

In said patent, disclosure is made of a machine for receiving the pads of sanitary napkins individually with the side margins of a limp gauze wrapper folded over into lapping relation against each pad, but with the end portions of said wrapper forming leading and trailing end flaps, and for folding said leading and trailing end flaps of the wrapper over into lapping relation 'against the body portion of the pad. The mechanism for accomplishing this result in the patent comprises a conveyor on which the partially wrapped pad is advanced endwise and a suction nozzle located above the conveyor in position to raise and detain the leading end flap until the pad, by its continued advance with the conveyor, draws the leading end flap into lapping relation to the article and pulls the flap free. The mechanism further comprises a duplicate of the above-described fiap folding structure for folding the other end flap, and means for causing the partially wrapped pad to be transferred from the first conveyor onto the second, and to travel with its ends reversed on the second conveyor. No timing of operations is required, the apparatus being effective to perform its intended operations at any time. All of these features are retained in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention, however, to provide for the more economical carrying out of these objects, principally by reducing the amount of air which must be drawn through the suction nozzle. In accordance with one important feature of the invention, the conveyors are perforated and provision is made beneath each conveyor and opposite the suction nozzle cooperative therewith, of a blower for projecting an air blast upward and toward the mouth of the suction nozzle to lift the limp leading end flap of the wrapper toward the nozzle and thus 10- cate the same within the field of the suction of the air drawn into the nozzle.

A further feature of the invention has to do with an improved form of suction nozzle including means for adjusting the sizeof the nozzle mouth so that a given quantity of air drawn through the nozzle may be effective to produce a higher velocity at the mouth of the nozzle and thus to cause the leading end of the flap to find its way more readily into the nozzle. The adjustment selected is a compromise between the throttling of the air intake with impaired efficiency, and the increasing of the velocity, and depends upon the character of the suction apparatus and the existing operating conditions.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. In thev drawing forming part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly 10 in section, illustrating a portion of the article conveying and flap folding mechanism,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view in front elevation partly broken away, illustrating a suction nozzle and an associated blower, and 0 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing a portion of the perforated conveyor belt.

A table I supports the active stretch of an endless conveyor belt 2, having perforations 3 formed therein. The conveyor receives the pads 4, partially wrapped in gauze 5, from pad forming and wrapping instrumentalities not shown. Each pad is delivered longitudinally onto the conveyor with the side margins of the gauze 5 wrapped around it and overlapped and with the gauze forming leading and trailing end flaps 8 and 1 which rest on the conveyor in front of and behind the pad. The conveyor 2 is continuously driven and is designed to carry the pad beneath a suction nozzle 8 which is located far enough above the conveyor to permit the body of the pad to clear it. As the leading end of the leading flap 6 comes opposite the mouth of the suction nozzle, it is drawn into the nozzle and yieldingly detained under tension until the pad 4 by its continued advance with the belt 2, pulls the fiap 6 into lapping relation to the pad and free of the suction nozzle. For the purpose of facilitating the drawing of the leading end flap 6 into the suction nozzle, the belt 3 is perforated and provision is made of a blower 9 opposite the mouth of the nozzle. The blower 9 is situated in a recess l0 formed in the table i and comprises a. conduit II and upwardly directed jets l2 extending therefrom, the jets being located in the lines of travel of the belt perforations 3. The blower is effective to lift the leading end flap away from the conveyor and toward the suction nozzle, and thus enables the suction nozzle to take control of the end flap without the necessity for creating sufficient suction to draw the end flap upward from the plane of the conveyor.

The general organization and the mode of operation are the same as illustrated and described in the patent to Williams referred to above, the described mechanism being duplicated for acting on the end flap I, and provision being made of means for transferring the pads from one conveyor to the other.

As a further feature of the invention, each of the suction nozzles 8 is formed with provision for adjusting the size of the nozzle mouth so as to regulate the velocity of air intake of the nozzle. To this end the nozzle, which may be formed of flexible metal, is provided with a movable top wall section I3 which is separate from the side walls I4 of the nozzle, but fits them closely. A bracket I5 embraces the side walls I4 and extends over the top wall section I3. An adjusting.

screw I6 is threaded through the bracket I5 and bears against the upper face of the top wall I3. When the adjusting screw I6 is screwed downward it serves to flex the top wall I3 and to diminish the size of the nozzle mouth. When the adjusting screw I 5 is turned in the reverse direction the top wall' I3 is permitted to rise under its own elasticity and thus to increase the size of the nozzle mouth. It is possible, therefore, to secure an adjustment of the nozzle mouth which is most advantageous" in view of the various operating factors involved. It is desirable to diminish the size of the nozzle mouth to a point at which the intake velocity will be suificient to cause the wrapper flap to be definitely and dependably drawn into the nozzle and out of the way of the oncoming pad, but not to the point where the admission of air to the nozzle is so throttled down as to seriously impair the efliciency of the suction apparatus employed.

Both the blower. feature and the nozzle mouth adjustment feature contribute substantially to the saving of power required for operating the suction apparatus andenable the end flap folding operations to be performed with much less consumption of power than was formerly required.

We have described what we believe to be the best embodiments of our invention. We do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what we desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a machine for fol-ding a limp end flap of a wrapper about an article, in combination, a perforated conveyor, a suction nozzle disposed above the conveyor, and a blower disposed below the conveyor opposite the mouth of the nozzle for raising an end flap toward the nozzle.

2. In a machine for folding a limp end flap of a wrapper about an article, in combination, a suction nozzle, a conveyor therebeneath for conveying the partially wrapped article past the nozzle, and means located opposite the nozzle mouth for lifting, the leading end flap away from I the conveyor and toward the nozzle.

3. In a-machine for folding a limp end flap of a wrapper about an article, in combination, a perforated conveyor, a blower located beneath the conveyor and directed upwardly to lift the from the conveyor, and means located above the I conveyor and spaced therefrom for taking control of the lifted end flap and detaining it until said flap has been lapped on to the article and pulled free by the continued travel of the article.

5. In a machine for folding a limp end flap of a wrapper about an article, in combination, a conveyor, a suction nozzle above the conveyor for detaining the leading end flap of the wrapper until said flap has been lapped' onto the article and pulled free by the continued travel of the article,

and means for adjusting the size of the nozzle mouth to regulate the velocity of the air flowing through the mouth.

JOHN E. BLOSSER. PAUL BURKE. 

